It’s time to celebrate now that the Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up Auston Matthews to a four-year contract extension worth $13.25M AAV.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Auston Matthews is the greatest player in Toronto Maple Leafs history.
I know that Dave Keon is technically still considered the Leafs G.O.A.T because he won a Stanley Cup, but he beat five teams. There are more teams in the Atlantic Division today than there were in the NHL when he played and if Matthews played one game in the league back then, he’d have more goals that night than Keon did in the 1967-68 season (he scored 11 goals).
At Matthews’ current pace, he’ll become the Leafs leader in goals, surpassing Mats Sundin (420 career goals) in three seasons from now. If he really turns on the jets, he’ll also have an opportunity to beat Sundin’s career point-totals (987 points) before his contract is up in five years.
We’re watching greatness every night, as Matthews is the best goal-scorer in the NHL and it’s not particularly close.
You can argue that McDavid is the best player in the world, but at 5v5, Matthews may actually be better. Over the past five seasons, Matthews has 145 goals 5v5, which is 28 more goals than McDavid 5v5.
Matthews Gives Toronto Maple Leafs A Five-Year Window
On an off year, he’ll score 40 goals, but when the puck is bouncing the right way, he’s shown that he can score 60 goals in a season.
Not only is his goal-scoring elite, but he’s one of the best defensive center’s in the NHL and continues to deliver on every shift. If you watch him closely, he continues to get his stick in the right lanes and is a stick-lift machine, creating multiple turnovers for the opposition on a nightly basis.
Argue all you want about his playoff record, but he’s actually been better than you’d think. With 44 points in 50 playoff games, he’s the main reason why this team is even in the playoffs every year. Drafted No. 1 overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Matthews took this organization from last place to contender immediately and deserves a ton of praise.
From the years of 2006-2016, if you walked around Toronto, you’d see more Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin jersey’s than you would Leafs players, but Scotiabank Arena is filled with the No. 34. His ability to score in every different angle makes him an unstoppable force and the fact that we’ll have the pleasure to watch him in Toronto for another five years is refreshing.
The pessimist in me always thought that he’d consider moving somewhere in the States and playing in a fancier market like Los Angeles, but clearly, he’s dedicated to winning in Toronto.
It may sound impossible, but the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to win a Stanley Cup one day and I GUARANTEE that Matthews will be wearing the blue-and-white when it happens.
This team needs to continue to build around Matthews and Mitch Marner and if they can convince John Tavares to re-sign after next year on a cheap contract, it could really help the team have a better chance at winning.
For the most part, it’s been a terrible offseason for Brad Treliving and the Leafs, but the Matthews signing should put a glimmer of hope in the future of this franchise.